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I’m not referring to the American drama with a somewhat similar name. Reading the synopsis and ratings has tempted me to start watching it, but every time I’m tempted to start a new series, I’m reminded that:

I have a horrible history of backlogging them (the only series I’ve actually finished is Friends, which is a bit pathetic by anyone’s standards), and;

Not even How To Get Away With Murder could captivate me?! And no plot could be better than that.

I’m every television producer’s worst nightmare.

(I assure you, I do have a point to this post.)

The past week my intrigue has been with the term blind spot. We’ve all heard people telling us that it’s crucial to make sure that we have someone who has our back; someone who watches over the particulars that we might have missed- our blind spots. We could call these people our accountability partners, supporters or, in true ghetto style, our homies.

A few events have triggered my unwarranted curiosity with the concept of us having blind spots, the first being my driving instructor getting out of the car and completely disappearing from my side mirrors to prove his point that I do, in fact, have blind spots, at least in the realm of driving. The second event was my eyesight going slightly wonky due to the presence of small, grey flecks appearing within my vision (commonly known as floaters). It’s nothing life-threatening, but it certainly made me more aware and conscious of my vision and eyesight.

One thing struck me, and it’s this: grey flecks and blind spots are not the same things.

With the flecks, I could still make out my vision. Those grey speckles were present, but didn’t paint what was in front of me in a deceptive way, and hence couldn’t affect my decision-making in a way that would be detrimental to both myself or those around me. But with the blind spots, I seriously could not see my big and burly driving instructor, no matter how hard I looked into the mirror, no matter how clear my vision was.

So when people say that we need people around us to cover our blind spots, it got me thinking: Does this mean that no matter how smart or put together we are, there will always be links in our chain missing? Something that we would almost inevitably be messing up? Just because… we are? No one advises us against our grey flecks, do they? And of course, common sense would kick in and say: Yes, because no man is an island and two heads are better than one etc. But, I’m not ashamed to admit that I felt a level of discomfort at the fact that I could have, may have and probably already have missed out on something really crucial (the real-life equivalent of a big and burly driving instructor) because of whatever blind spots I may have, such as my prejudices, my biases and my personal preferences.

I guess this is why we need our homies. To have your back when you need them. However, I don’t think we truly value the work they do unless we realise the magnitude and danger of our blind spots. If you, like me, were convinced that you have covered all possible bases and that nothing except perhaps an extraterrestrial invasion could foil your plans, why would you need a support network? If somewhere deep in your noggin you were assured of your own sufficiency to live independently of those around you, you may very well be cruising along without feeling the need to glance over your shoulder. And it takes quite a degree of eating the humble pie to realise and admit that you can’t do it by your lonesome. It takes the jolt of realising your vulnerabilities and insufficiencies. That jolt usually hurts a little, too.

The light at the end of the tunnel: there’s always community out there. We just have to be humble enough to admit that we need someone or some people to walk with us through our difficulties. Yes, it’ll probably be messy, hurtful and challenging. The friction would tempt you to throw your hands up in despair. But, what is the alternative? To struggle alone? To go through life without a security and support network? That’s just dangerous. Besides, it’s not all gloomy clouds and rainy days. Think of the milestones to be shared, the burden to be halved, and the laughter to be magnified. We all need each other, to cover our blind spots, brush the dirt off of our backside, and spur each other on.

Just because you don’t see your blind spots doesn’t mean they’re not there. (At first glance, that sounded really deep, but I don’t think that sentence makes sense- if you can see your blind spots, they’re not your blind spots anymore… Oh well, It’s 11 p.m., I just touched 800 words, and hitting backspace is too much of a chore so I’m gonna give myself a break on that one.) On that note, speak soon!